A police operation is taking place in a small town in southern France after a police officer was shot and wounded.

A suspect has been surrounded at a supermarket in the town of Trebes, south of Toulouse, and might have taken hostages, national police said.

The French interior ministry said on its Twitter account that police and rescue operations are the priority.

Authorities in the Aude region are warning people to avoid the area around the supermarket.

French counter-terrorism prosecutors are taking charge of the investigation.

There are unconfirmed media reports that the assailant claimed connections to Islamic State.

Interior minister spokesman Frederic Delanouvelle told the Associated Press that there is one suspect and police are trying to subdue him.

He provided no details of how many people were inside the supermarket or were believed held hostage.